Being an artist in today’s world is both exciting and challenging all at once.

With social media and the internet, new doors have opened with opportunities for artists to reach wider audiences and gain recognition for their work. Things like open calls for artists to showcase their artwork virtually, or in brick and mortar art galleries, both allow artist to expand their audience. But putting yourself out there is all part of opening new doors. I’ve been submitting my art for open calls and will let you know how that is all going soon. The submission process is different for each open call but it’s worth it. There will be rejection letters for sure but I choose to look at them as chances to grow. After all, how do you know what you can do if you don’t try?

While the internet provides new opportunities for artists, it’s also a highly competitive environment. With so many artists vying for attention, it’s challenging to stand out from the crowd and it can be difficult to find a balance between creating art that is true to oneself and creating art that sells.

I try to stay true to myself by choosing colours and compositions based on the emotions I want to portray instead of what’s in right now. While beige interiors are in style right now, that doesn’t mean that I’m creating beige art. My art is meant to enhance and brighten up a room. On another note, lately I’ve changed up my social media strategy to get more peoples attention. I’ve been trying to make viewers think, laugh or get a behind the scenes view of my process. It’s not bad to try to capture peoples attention while finding ways to stay true to oneself.

Despite the challenges, being an artist in today’s world also offers a great deal of creative freedom. Artists can explore new styles and mediums and express themselves in ways that may not have been acceptable or mainstream before like graffiti or digital art. For example, I used to create realistic art, in many different mediums before deciding that abstract art is right for me. This choice is right for me now. But, there is a chance of that changing in the future. Who knows, I could start creating digital art one day.

Art inspires, challenges, and changes the world. In that way, being an artist in today’s world is pretty much the same as it was before. Artists have always had the opportunity to create work that impacts lives, they capture a moment in time, stir emotions, or spark conversations. While art galleries might not have given all artists exposure the internet can.

What’s exciting is exploring without boundaries through creating art, it keeps me motivated along with reaching parts of the world that I otherwise couldn’t.

What keeps you motivated in your creativeness?